Northwest Reverb - Reflections by James Bash and others about classical music in the Pacific Northwest and beyond

Monday, June 9, 2008

Great news at the box office for the Oregon Symphony

The Oregon Symphony has just released its attendance numbers for the 2007-2008 season and they are way, way up! This is good news for the orchestra, which has been limping somewhat over the past few years. The latest press release from the orchestra states that in the just concluded season "... the Oregon Symphony sold $5.64 million in tickets, 15.6 percent more than the prior season." and "It was the orchestra’s best year at the box office since 2001-02 and the first time it exceeded $5 million in ticket sales since the final days of the 2003-04 concert season."

Here's another summary statement that provides more details: "Over the course of the season, the orchestra sold 7,878 more tickets than it did the year before. But because the orchestra presented 79 performances at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall this season – six fewer than last year – that translates to a 14.2 percent increase in average paid attendance. At a typical performance, there were 215 more paying patrons in attendance, with an average paid attendance of 1,727 people." (Note that the Schnitz has 2,780 seats.)

The most popular concerts were the Van Cliburn opening gala that sold 98.5 percent of the concert hall's capacity, the Norman Leyden concerts at 96.2 percent, and the season ending "Carmina Burana" performances at 94.3 percent. Also of note was the final "Inside the Score" concert with Gregory Vajda at the helm, which sold 86.9 percent of the house.

As a result of this successful year, the orchestra is selling a lot more tickets for next season. According to the press release, "... with total ticket sales for the 2008-09 concert season recently passing $3.4 million, a substantial increase over sales figures from the same time last year."